Intolerance against media increased in Pakistan since Imran Khan became PM

Journalists and the media are a priority target of Pakistan's military and inter-intelligence services to subjugate freedom of speech, EU Chronicle reported, adding that such actions of intolerance towards independent journalism has increased dramatically since July 2018 when Imran Khan became prime minister.

In a report, EU Chronicle said the murder of a Pakistani journalist Sajid Hussain had all the hallmarks of a Pakistani extra-judicial killing. Sajid Hussain is just one example of the horrendous treatment of journalists inside and outside of Pakistan, it added.

Sajid (39), the editor-in-chief of the Balochistan Times was found dead in a river by police in Uppsala. He was missing since March 2.

He left Pakistan in 2012 and had been living as a refugee in Sweden since 2017.

Sajid Hussain was the nephew of Shaheed Ghulam Mohammad Baloch, the founder of the Baloch National Movement.

"Sajid Hussain is just one example of the horrendous treatment of journalists inside and outside of Pakistan. Journalists and the media are a priority target for Pakistan's "deep state", constant manoeuvring by the military and inter-intelligence services to subjugate freedom of speech," the report read.

"Such actions of intolerance towards independent journalism has increased dramatically since July 2018 when Imran Khan became prime minister. Of course, Pakistan is just one of many countries where such examples can be found, and who despite their signature and ratification, are failing to comply with commitments and respect for the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)," it added.

A press freedom charity had suggested Pakistani intelligence was behind Hussain's disappearance in early March, according to a report.

A leaked Pakistani government internal memo, about stopping the "rhetoric against Pakistan", specifically targets six journalists based abroad. The murder of Sajid Hussain had all the hallmarks of a Pakistani extra-judicial killing.

According to confidential information obtained by Reporters Without Borders, a list of Pakistani dissidents who are now refugees abroad has been circulating within Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, the most powerful of Pakistan's intelligence agencies.

(ANI)

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